While Thursdays are slow for the MLB, there’s still baseball to play (and bet on). There are four contests occurring, and all have rather interesting money lines.
This guide covers each one by looking at both teams, how they match up, as well as which ones to pick based on recent performances and trends.
The A’s are one of the more confusing teams in the MLB. They haven’t won a lot this year, mainly due to some truly terrible streaks that put them in the hole. Still, they have a lot of firepower throughout their lineup and have won six of their last ten.
In contrast, the Nationals are one of the worst teams in baseball. They did win on Wednesday, but they’ve only won four of their last ten games and seem to be floundering even more than the Athletics.
Those two factors point to taking the A’s in this one. The Athletics have a solid money line, especially considering they have the bats to win both a close game or a blow out.
It’s also worth noting that both squads have pretty weak starters going tomorrow. Jacob Lopez has a 3.99 ERA, while Mitchell Parker comes in with a 5.35. Neither are strike out kings either, meaning the ball will be in play a lot. Taking the over here seems like a good idea.
Sometimes, it can be tempting to go with the underdog if the payout is big enough. That’s certainly something to consider when looking at the White Sox and Mariners. Still, we don’t think it’s a good idea.
The team from Chicago is running out Shane Smith. Not only does he have a 4.25 ERA, but he’s 3-7 on the year and 1-4 in his last seven games. The Mariners are rolling with Logan Gilbert who has a slightly better ERA (3.45), more strikeouts, and a much better team behind him.
The Mariners are a well-rounded squad on a three game winning streak who have a real shot at taking their division. The White Sox have lost three in a row and look pretty disjointed. The Mariners might have a lower payout, but for good reason.
For the over/under, 7.5 seems a bit high in a game like this one. The Mariners could score a lot, but the Sox just don’t have the bats to put up enough runs to make that number feasible. This is a good under.
This is one of the cases where we recommend the underdog. The Pirates may be sending out all star Paul Skenes (2.02 ERA) against the much worse Brady Singer (4.36 ERA), but the better team is getting money here.
Cincinnati is going to have trouble hitting the ball. However, they have the 16th best team average in the MLB and are fighting for a wild card spot. The Pirates are one of the worst hitting teams in the league (27th) and are sitting in dead last.
It’s also worth noting that the Pirates don’t support Skenes very well. He is 6-8 on the year, including a 3-4 stint where he had a 1.61 ERA. With such little run support, it’s easy to put $100 on Cincinnati.
As Skenes is such a good pitcher, it’s easy to see the Reds winning a low scoring affair. Under seven is our pick for that reason.
The two minus lines might trip some people up, but this game is a lot more straightforward than it seems. The Marlins are the better team up and down the lineup, and they have a much stronger pitching staff as well.
They will send Eury Perez (2.70 ERA) to the mound against Carlos Carrasco (5.68 ERA). That’s another lopsided matchup, and one to take advantage of on a slow day. The payout isn’t the best, but unlike the Phillies game there likely won’t be any surprises.
The Marlins have also done quite well this year when favored, while the Braves have performed pretty poorly. That’s yet another reason to take Miami in what should be an easy win.
This is another game where we like the under much more than the over. With Perez being a strong arm and Carrasco likely getting pulled early, it’s hard to see both teams getting more than 8.5 runs.
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